This cruise marked our thirty second cruise together, with four others taken
separately. This was our second sailing with Princess Cruises, both on the Sea
Princess. The earlier Sea Princess cruise was before the ship was transferred to
P&O Cruises, from Princess. Earlier this year, the Sea Princess was returned to
her original home line. The main impetus for choosing this cruise line/ship was
the unique itinerary. We have wanted to cruise Norway’s North Cape, and this
cruise also offered the opportunity to land on the archipelago of Spitsbergen
(also known as the Svalbard Islands), within 700 miles of the North Pole.

Some of the details and our
impressions of the ship and the cruise experience will be presented (sort of) in
the following manner: Pre-cruise; Embarkation; Ship; Ports of call; Dining;
Service; Final Wrap-up. Apologies are offered in advance for what promises to be
a quite lengthy review.

Pre Pre-cruise: As mentioned, this is an itinerary that we have wanted to
do for some time. Not many cruise lines offer the full coastal experience, and
those that do usually only offer it once a year. When we saw this itinerary in
September of 2004, we decided that 2005 would be our year to make this cruise.
We contacted our travel agent had him send our deposit and we were booked. Being
owners of the requisite number of shares of Carnival Corporation stock, we also
sent the documentation for the Shareholder Benefit (cabin credit based on length
of cruise). We were very surprised when in November, 2004 we received
notification from Princess Cruises offices in California that our Shareholder
Benefit would not be honored, since our travel agent had arranged for us to
receive a $100 USD cabin credit for the booking. The notice from Princess said
that only one cabin credit can be used per cruise. They were canceling our $250
USD credit and allowing us the $100 USD credit. We told our travel agent and he
immediately started a long series of back-and-forth e-mails and telephone calls
attempting to resolve this issue. We have previously received the Shareholder
Benefit, in addition to other cabin credits, on other Carnival brands in the
past via our travel agent. When he got nowhere with the Princess representative,
he asked for her contact at Carnival and made his/our case anew. The person at
Carnival agreed that both credits should be honored and that all would be taken
care of. The Princess rep was new to Carnival’s Shareholder benefit program.
Case Closed! Or, so we thought. When our travel documents arrived, the flight
information page showed an On-Board Credit of $250 USD. Another series of
e-mails and telephone conversations resulted in the rep at Princess suggesting
that we were lying about having received both credits in the past. When asked
about the "resolution" back in November, the rep at Princess stated that the
person at Carnival was not familiar with Carnival’s policies, and in any ev
ent, Princess is it own company. She also stated that the person at Carnival
should have told us that the Princess interpretation of the policy would be the
binding one. The person at Carnival, when asked about this, confirmed that
Princess will have the final say on their ships. More on this later.

Prior to this cruise, we had found a roll call thread, for this sailing, on the
Cruise Critic Bulletin Board website. Over a period of a few months we had
formed a small but dedicated group, of mostly seasoned cruisers. Besides the
normal "chit-chat" that goes back and forth, we decided to try and meet for
lunch, at noon, on the first sea day. One of the couples agreed to speak with
the head waiter in charge at the Dining Room that day and request a table for
the eleven of us. They set us off in a corner by ourselves and we had such a
wonderful time that we agreed to make it a standing reservation, at the same
time and place, for each of the sea days, with no pressure if someone decided to
do something else at that time. "The Dirty Dozen, minus one" managed to meet
each of the scheduled times. These luncheons, that occasionally almost ran into
tea time, turned out to be one of the highlights of this cruise for us. What a
wonderful group of old friends that we had met for the first time.

Pre-cruise, London (Day 1): Due to the spanning of a number of time
zones, we opted to leave early and spend two nights in London, pre-cruise, to
allow time for our biological clocks to reset. By means of a Cruise Critic
posting board, for a different cruise that we will be taking later this year, we
became somewhat (in a cyber-space manner) acquainted with a couple who lives
north of London. As circumstances presented themselves we were able to join them
for dinner the last evening before leaving for Southampton. Sylvia and Niels are
originally from Belgium and introduced us to a wonderful Belgian restaurant (Belgo
Centraal) in London’s Covent Garden neighborhood. We were fortunate to be joined
by our good friend George, who lives in California, for both the dinner and the
cruise.

Our flight to London was uneventful , after boarding the plane and then waiting
at the gate for an hour and forty minutes for, "paperwork to be completed". We
normally make our own air travel arrangements, but this trip decided to use
Princess’ Air Package, which included transfers from airport to hotel , to ship,
to airport. As it turned out, we would have probably been on the same plane if
we had made our own air travel arrangements. Due to our ‘paperwork’ delay, we
arrived in London about one and one-half hours after George, instead of the
originally scheduled ten minutes. George had patiently waited for us at the
luggage claim area. When we claimed our luggage and proceeded to find the
Princess representative, she informed George that they had originally had a
separate car waiting for him since they knew about our delayed arrival. However,
she reluctantly made arrangements to place George with us in the same transport
to the hotel. At the hotel, we were informed that our rooms were ready, except
for a "final inspection". Our wait was about 15-20 minutes, which we spent
getting caught up on happenings since our last previous get together. After
dropping off our carry-on bags in our rooms, we set about to explore a bit of
London (George’s first trip across the ‘pond’), despite some intermittent
showers. We strolled to the Covent Garden area to verify the location of Belgo,
and we had lunch at a delightful place in Covent Garden Market. We then checked
out the theaters in the area and finally a look at Trafalgar Square before
heading back to the hotel for some rest. We took a nap and then decided to go
back out for some additional sightseeing. Since George had and additional three
time zones to adjust to, we allowed him to get additional sleep time, agreeing
to meet for breakfast the next morning. After our nap, we headed out toward St.
Paul’s Cathedral, and the Millennium Bridge. We got to the area just as a
fund-raising walk staged by London’s newspapers, for funds toward the
restoration of Big Ben, and the clock, was in its final stages. This added an
extra level of festivity to the early evening. We walked across the Millennium
Bridge over to the Globe Theatre replica, just as the evening performance crowd
was assembling. We were tempted to see if we could still get tickets, but
decided not to try for fear of getting tickets and then falling asleep during
the show, after our long travel day, nap notwithstanding. We walked about some
more and then grabbed a light supper before returning to our hotel for a full
night’s sleep.

Pre-Cruise, London (Day 2): We arose early and met a well rested George
and went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, we all agreed
that George’s desire to see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham
Palace was worth the try. Since the weather was, for London in June, unusually
warm and sunny, with only moderate humidity levels, we set out on a walking
route, which took us through Whitehall and onto Marlborough Road. While
traversing Marlborough Road, we noticed the guard preparing for their march to
Buckingham Palace. We decided to remain there and had a front row view of the
formation of the Color Guard, the band, and the guard contingent itself. While
we did not see the actual changing ceremonies, we did get an extremely close-up
view (less than 10 feet at one time), and listen to a preview of the band
playing. We then followed the ‘parade’ down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace,
where the crowds were much larger. We all agreed that we had a great view and
probably saw more than if we had continued directly to the palace. After
reaching the Queen Victoria Monument and watching the Mounted Guard ride by and
the relieved guard unit return to St. James Palace, we took Birdcage Walk toward
the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We then headed along
Victoria Embankment to Waterloo Bridge and then back toward the Strand and a
lunch of some ‘pub grub’. We then followed the route of the previous evening so
that George could experience the Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Belgo; a wonderful time
was had by all. Belgo is a wonderful restaurant, the mussels are outstanding,
the beer selection enormous, the desserts decadent, but by far, the camaraderie
was what made the evening so memorable.

Embarkation: As per instructions from the Princess representative, we
placed our luggage outside our rooms by 0730, the hotel staff then collected
them and we next saw them in our cabins on the ship. Then it was off to
breakfast at the Pearl restaurant in the hotel – a bit pricey, but superb food
and service. After checking out from the hotel, we boarded busses to the port at
about 1000. Due to heavy traffic, the supposed two hour trip took closer to
three hours. The wonderful weather had many locals heading for the beaches,
according to our driver. Check in was reasonably quick (about 30 minutes) and
painless; passport checked, tickets taken, cruise card given and its use
explained, signature authorizing charging of shipboard purchases, directed to
gangway. We had completed all the required immigration information on-line prior
to leaving home which helped speed things along. The "Welcome Aboard" photo was
handled professionally and with great dispatch, a harbinger of more good things
to follow? One last stop prior to boarding; one has to stand at a pre-determined
spot and place your cruise card into a slot and be photographed for the ships
security system. Each time we subsequently left and returned to the ship, we had
to insert our cruise card and the security officer could compare the photo with
the passenger, while the ship’s computer tracked the coming/going. Finally, on
board! We were met in the lobby by a crew member who checked our cruise card and
directed us to an elevator and told us, "go up to Baja Deck 10". When we got off
at Baja Deck, another crew person looked at our cards and pointed us toward a
hall way and said, "go to the left and look for your stateroom on the right". We
found B-618 easily enough, but missed the pampered feeling that one gets on
Celebrity or Holland American while being escorted to your stateroom. After
disposing of our carry-on bags, we set out to search out our cyber cruisemates,
explore the ship and partake of some lunch. Lunch was available in the Horizon
Court and the Riviera Grill. We opted for the Horizon Court Buffet (more on this
later). After lunch, we stopped back at our cabin prior to exploring the ship
(mainly to pick up the pocket sized deck plans that we forgot to take with us).
Some of our luggage had arrived, and we met Gonzaldo, our very pleasant cabin
steward. Gonzaldo introduced himself and showed us the location of our life
jackets, explained the operation of the room safe, the temperature controls, the
various knobs/dials in the bathroom, pointed out the refrigerator, and told us
how to contact him if we wanted anything. For the Passenger Muster Exercise, we
carried (as instructed) our life jackets to our Muster Station (Vista Lounge).
The room was quite full and I was grateful not to have to be in such close
quarters wearing life jackets. It appeared very disorganized, but the crew
person in charged got everyone seated and explained the emergency procedures,
then with the help of additional crew members made sure that all present donned
life jackets properly. No roll call was taken, but it was explained that while
we were at our muster stations, crew members were making a sweep of all
staterooms, to make sure all were unoccupied, just as they would do in an actual
emergency. We felt comfortable that this exercise was competently handled, and
the process is sound.

Ship Particulars: The Sea Princess was built at the Fincantieri Shipyards
(Italy) in 1998; she is 857 feet in length and 106 feet wide, with a G.R.T. of
77,499 tons, and a double occupancy Passenger capacity of 1,950, carrying a crew
of 900. The propulsion is Diesel Electric; there are 2 stabilizers; bow and
stern thrusters obviate the need of tugs (in all but most severe conditions);
cruising speed is approximately 20 knots, top speed is 21.6 knots. The Sea
Princess had just undergone a dry-docking and partial refurbishment during its
transition from P&O Cruises to back to Princess Cruise Line.

Stateroom: We were on Baja Deck (10) cabin B618 (Outside Double with
Balcony, port side, just a bit aft of midship). This location is directly above
and below staterooms on Decks 9 and 11. There was no discernible noise from
either , nor from the cabins on either side of ours. The stateroom was about 21
feet by 11 feet, including the bathroom and closets (listed as 179 sq. ft. In
brochure); the balcony was a cozy 4 feet by 11 feet. This is small, but adequate
for sitting with a book or having a light breakfast or lunch/snack from room
service, and not much else. The two beds were made up in a queen size
configuration, as requested, and were quite comfortable. There was one full
length closet, one that had two bars each providing enough length for
shirts/blouses, or pants hung over the bar of a suit hanger (the top bar would
be difficult to reach for someone less than about 5 feet 6 inches tall; the
remaining closet had three fixed selves (one mostly taken by the safe) and three
wire baskets that swiveled out for access. There was ample room at the bottom of
the closets even for all of Janet’s shoes; the desk/dressing table and the night
stand contained ample drawer/shelf space for the remainder of our clothes (we do
not travel light when we cruise). There was no difficulty placing the empty
suitcases under the bed. The bathroom was adequately sized and the shower was
large, by cruise ship standards; it would have been even nicer if it had been
equipped with a hand held option as many ships now provide. No problems with
amount of hot water and/or pressure, at any time. Temperature control was easy
to maintain/change, as desired, which was helpful due to the varying
temperatures we encountered on this itinerary. Also, on this itinerary we were
to have six days where the sun would not set, and a number of others where we
would have 18 to 21 hours of daylight. Fortunately, the drapes were sufficiently
thick to keep the cabin dark enough to provide for a full night of sleep, if
that was your preferenc
e. Our Cabin Steward, Gonzaldo, was most pleasant and willing to please, and had
that knack that the true professionals have of never being in the way, but
always there when needed. Everything was maintained to our preferences. Princess
has a process where each passenger has a fresh beach/pool towel placed in their
cabin each day, or more frequently if needed; at one point we had six towels in
our cabin and had to ask Gonzaldo to please not leave any more, unless we
requested them. Princess also supplies robes in each stateroom for passengers
use. When we first boarded, we did not see any robes in our cabin and thought
perhaps this policy had been changed. When we later met Gonzaldo, he apologized
and assured us that he would make sure that they were in our cabin as soon as
possible. They were there within 15 minutes, and were brand new.

Public Areas: This a fairly large ship, with a total passenger capacity
of 2270, with slightly over 2000 on this cruise, but the only times we saw any
real congestion was in the Horizon Court buffet and just prior to the opening of
the Traviata Dining Room at dinner. The congestion at the entrance to the dining
room is easy to resolve, remain seated in one of the lounges until the "hungry
hordes" get in, then leisurely stroll to one’s own table. There is some
congestion in the area of the on-board shops when the tables are placed in the
walkways for the sale promotions. In a sense of fairness, we need to note that
we did not spend a lot of time taking notes in all the public areas. In most
cases our opinions are based on casual observations while moving about the ship
at different times of day/night.

Horizon Court: The congestion in the buffet area, in the Horizon Court,
is more problematic. Before getting to the buffet lines, each passenger must
stop and use the hand sanitizing solution dispensers. Early in the cruise the
staff was quite adamant about enforcing this, but their resolve seemed to weaken
during the latter stages of the cruise. There are two buffet lines, one on
starboard side, the other on the port side; both are set up identically. They
are further sub-divided with a hot buffet on one side, cold buffet on the other;
the middle area is set up with salads and/or other incidentals, depending on the
meal being served. The salad station is comprised of two smaller islands.
Unfortunately the lettuce and salad dressings are located at the first island
and the rest of the salad ingredients are at the second island. This requires
moving back against the flow, if one wishes to add the salad dressing on top of
the completed salad. The beverage station is at the end of the cold buffet side;
the desserts are in the center of the cold buffet side. You can imagine the
congestion as passengers move from side to side, or stop in the middle area,
especially to get desserts or beverages while those in line on that side of the
buffet are attempting to finish their movement through the area.

We did not partake on the Sterling Steakhouse offering in the Horizon Court,
which is a casual dining alternative available each evening from 6:30 to
10:00PM, at an additional charge (if memory serves us correctly, the charge was
$15.00 USD per person). The buffet lines are open for pastries and beverages,
breakfast, lunch, light snacks, dinner buffets, and Bistro and late snacks, with
minimal closures for change-over. This arrangement allows for availability of
food 24 hours/day. This over and above that available from room service.

Princess Theater (Promenade Deck 7, Forward): This is the primary
showroom; it is also used for movies, but no popcorn. It is set up like a
land-based theater, with decent sight lines and acoustics. We attended a few of
the shows here, and found the room adequate. One aspect of this venue that we
found somewhat irksome is that there are no aisles along the walls of the
theater; late arriving guests have to make their way to the extreme left/right
seats by passing in front of all those already seated in the center portion of
the seats. We don’t cruise for the entertainment, but Ray does enjoy watching
the dance routines (an effort to relive earlier thespian days?). Also with the
timing of late seating and the start times for the shows, we found it
practically impossible to find seats in this small venue theater, competing with
those passengers who were coming from Personal Choice (earlier) dinner seating.
This will continue to be a problem for those who prefer late dining, since
enlarging the room does not seem feasible, or even possible. One curious tidbit
was that during the dry dock some of the carpeting seems to have been replaced
on the steps in the aisles used for entering and leaving the theater. That
wasn’t what was curious, but some of the new carpeting had obvious holes cut out
and patched (and not always competently) which made for a tacky appearance.

Vista Lounge (Promenade Deck 7, Aft): This is the secondary show lounge,
more of a cabaret venue; also used for movies (still no popcorn) and lectures.
This smaller configuration leaves some less than ideal sight lines, not a big
deal for a stand up comedian or lecturer, but critical for sight gags and
projected images, or production shows. Princess should be applauded for trying
to spread out the passengers in to different venues, especially since none of
those they have can accommodate sufficient numbers at one time. Not one of our
favorite rooms. Also a frequent home to "Bingo!"

Premier Cru Bar (Promenade Deck 7, Midship): A smallish, but comfortable,
champagne and caviar bar; of course, other types of libations were also
available. Music from Crooner’s Lounge drifted back here, but was muted enough
not to be disturbing. This turned out to be our favorite pre-dinner place to
enjoy a cocktail and "people watch". It was a bit confusing the first few times
this venue was mentioned by Cruise Director, or other staff members, since it
sounds the same as "Crew Bar".

Razzmatazz (Promenade Deck 7, Midship): This is the ship’s dance club,
and seemed quite lively most nights. This isn’t our type of venue, so we can
only comment that those we saw in there each night, as we strolled the deck
before turning in, seemed to be having a fine time. Some of our new friends from
Cruise Critic seemed to enjoy it enough to be there until closing most nights.
This is also where they held Karaoke

Explorer’s Bar (Plaza Deck 5, Atrium): An intimate little niche bar that
only seemed to attract folks while they were waiting for their Rigoletto Dining
Room times, or perhaps an after dinner drink. We had also noticed some
passengers having pots of tea in this area, on a few afternoons.

Crooner’s Lounge (Promenade Deck 7, Atrium): This lounge billed as a tribute to
Frank Sinatra & The Rat Pack, proved to be a popular spot at most times of the
day. This was home to the "Trivia" challenges, piano sing-a-longs, before/after
dinner dancing, afternoon relaxation, also a good people-watching spot.

Wheelhouse Bar (Promenade Deck 7, Forward): This proved to be our
favorite after dinner/late night watering hole. The dark paneling, nautical
paintings and memorabilia, and views out on to the Promenade Deck, gives this
room the real feeling of being on a ship rather than in a resort hotel. Due to
the layout of the ship, this room gets more than necessary (sometimes
distracting) amount of traffic with passengers going to/from the Princess
Theater. This is one of those design features that not much can be done about at
this point. In my opinion this is the only thing that keeps me from rating this
room "Outstanding"; it is very nice, but could be better. This room is also the
usual home to the "ever popular" Art Auctions (there were six of them for this
twelve day cruise).

Sundaes Ice Cream Bar (Riviera Deck 12): Hagen Daz ice cream, but be sure
to have your cruise charge card with you, treats here are not included in cruise
fare. Did not ever seem to be crowded ( we wondered if they include a 15%
gratuity? We never found out).

Pizzeria (Dolphin Deck 8, Atrium): Surrounds the top of the Atrium (2/3
of the way around). This room seemed to be a popular stop for passengers of all
ages, but especially for families with youngsters. Pizza was pretty good and
made to order, which predicated ordering a whole pie (approximately 9 inches) of
whatever type topping you wanted. It was here that we experienced a strange bit
of "pleasing the customer". Ray had ordered a Boddington beer with his pizza and
the server returned a very blank look and stated, "We don’t carry that brand",
despite the fact that table menu lists it as being available. Ray asked if she
could please check; a second person (supervisor?) came out and told us that they
just started carrying that brand on this cruise, but they had sold out already.
This was the second full day of the cruise! Other bars did have it in stock and
so did the Pizzeria, a couple of days later. The pasta dishes here were also
excellent. This made for a good place to stop after returning from shore
excursions.

Grand Casino (Dolphin Deck 8, Midship): Not one of our usual haunts on a
cruise, so we can’t comment too much on this room. We did wander in to take a
look around and it seemed typically like most other ship’s casinos. The Sea
Princess is a bit different from many cruise ships that we’ve been on in that
you do not have to walk through the Casino to get to other public spaces on the
ship. This is especially good news to those extremely bothered by cigarette
smoke; casinos tend to be rather smoky, even on newer ships. The entrance to the
Casino is located just across the Atrium from Pizzeria.

Seaview Spa, Gymnasium, Beauty Salon, Card Room, Library, Pool Decks
Bars, Boutiques on Board: These were all similar to what one might find on any
modern cruise ship with nothing special to make them memorable.

Dining: We had selected late seating (our norm) and were assigned to the
Traviata Dining Room on Plaza Deck 5, at a table for six. On the first evening
the table was set for seven, but the other two passengers never showed up and
the table was then set for five the remainder of the cruise. Our waiter,
Vincenzo, and his assistant, Kamil, provided us with service that was fairly
well paced and efficient, without ever feeling hurried. This was important since
we and our tablemates enjoyed each other’s company and were always one of the
last groups to leave the Dining Room. Kamil was quick to ascertain everyone’s
beverage preferences and deliver them at the desired times. We found the food to
be of good quality and preparation and presentation was fine. Ordering multiple
appetizers, or entrees, or desserts was not a problem, nor was ordering
appetizer sized portions of the evening’s pasta presentation. We were a bunch of
experienced cruisers who knew what we wanted/expected, and Vincenzo and Kamil
delivered. Princess line does not have wine stewards in the Dining Rooms; we
ordered our wine each evening usually through Vincenzo. The advantage to this is
that service seemed to be quicker than on ships where 3 or 4 wine stewards had
to cover the entire dining room; there is also the option of telephoning your
wine order earlier in the day and having the wine waiting at your table. The
disadvantage of no wine stewards is that it is nice having someone knowledgeable
of the wines in the ship’s cellar, in case one wants to try something
new/different. Of course, that assumes the wine steward is knowledgeable,
regrettably not always a safe assumption. Breakfast and lunch in the Dining
Room, usually only the Traviata Dining Room, on Emerald Deck 6, was open
seating. At breakfast, the other options are Room Service, or the buffet in the
Horizon Court. We had room service with light breakfast on our verandah a couple
of mornings, and the food arrived promptly as scheduled and quite hot. The
breakfast buffet was normal, nothing special, and one had to contend with the
poor traffic flow mentioned earlier. We tried the buffet when under time
constraints, but preferred the service of the dining room. Selection in both
venues was adequate. Lunch time options, other than dining room were the Horizon
Court buffet and/or Riviera Grill (hot dogs, burgers, etc.), and of course room
service.

Shore Excursions: The ports visited on this cruise are ones we had never
visited in the past, and this was a primary motivation for booking this
itinerary. We will share some of our experiences at the ports we visited. If you
have no interest in these ports, feel free to skip ahead to the rest of our
review.

Stavanger: This was one of only two ports where we had purchased ship’s
excursion packages. We chose the Sightseeing Cruise Along Lysefjord (3 ½ hours).
We had to meet in the Princess Theater and receive our numbered bus passes, and
then off to the bus for a short ride to our cruise boat. These boats were
catamaran jet boats with seating arrangements that resembled an airplane
passenger cabin, only much roomier. While Lysefjord extends some 50 miles
inland, we traversed only about 22 miles of the route. The cruise was well
narrated and many points of interest were explained from their
historical/geological/folklore perspectives. We also had a stop at a lovely
beach area under the overhang of one of the cliffs at Helleren, where we were
treated to a snack of local waffles and beverages, served in the atmosphere of
rustic log cabin type pavilions. While the weather was cloudy, with some rain
and fog as we left the ship, the fog lifted during our cruise, and the rain
reduced to only a few intermittent showers. One highlight, for us, was to see
Pulpit Rock. We had seen many pictures of the formation and were really
surprised at what a different perspective one gets when viewing it from water
level and gazing up the 600 meter height. We also stopped at the base of a
waterfall where crew members extended a bucket on the end of a boat gaff to
collect water for anyone who wanted to taste this recently melted ice.

Trondheim: Where we were docked here was about two miles from the center
of town. Princess provided shuttle bus service, at the price of $4.00 USD per
person each way. Never having been to this port, we opted for the shuttle into
town, but decided to walk back since it did not seem to actually be two miles.
It is an easy walk, and Princess was willing to refund the costs on any unused
shuttle tickets. The shuttle dropped us off near the main square in town, where
there was an open air market with a number of booths selling Norwegian wares and
also fresh fruit and flowers. We are not sure if this was a normal event, or
something prompted by the cruise ship being in port. The main shopping area of
town surrounds the square. Only a short walk from the square is the Nidaros
Cathedral, built beginning in 1070 by King Olav III Kyrre. This cathedral served
as the coronation church until after the Reformation, but none since 1906. It is
still considered a national sanctuary, by many people, and perhaps the most
impressive building in Norway. There is a small admission fee (40 NOK), and
flash photography is not permitted inside the cathedral. Instead of waiting for
the tour to top of the steeple in the cathedral we decided to further explore
the town and perhaps stop back. We ran into a couple from our Cruise Critic
Group who suggested we may wish to hike up to to the fort on top of the hill for
some very nice views. It is not a very long walk (about ¾ mile) but the road is
very steep. In our estimation it is worth the effort. In addition to the
wonderful views (high above the top of the cathedral), there is a small museum
(we did not enter since it was close to closing time) and a small refreshment
area. On the way to and from the fort, one crosses over the arched bridge named
Gamle Bybro, from which you can see the picturesque wharves and warehouses on
stilts along the waterfront. Many of these building have been converted into
restaurants, clubs and galleries.

At Sea: The noteworthy aspect of this day at sea was when we crossed the
Arctic Circle at 66 degrees, 33.0 minutes North. The crossing took place at
08:23 AM, but no announcement was made at that time. We had seen other reviews
where a recognition event took place during the crossing, and had looked forward
to marking the actual crossing. Later in the cruise, passengers received in
their cabins certificates, signed by the Captain and the Navigator, announcing
that we, "became a member of the most honourable Order of Bluenoses" when the
Sea Princess crossed the Arctic Circle.

Tromso: This was another port where Princess offered their, $4.00 USD per
person each way, shuttle service to the center of town (about two miles), with
refunds for unused tickets. On our trip into town, our driver showed us the
underground route, which included two underground traffic circles (round-a
-bouts). He also offered advice on how to use the public busses to reach various
tourist attractions. In subsequent conversations with other passengers, most of
the other drivers were not as accommodating. Two of our "must do" activities for
this port were the cable car ride to the top of the mountain and the Arctic
Cathedral. Since both are reasonably close to each other, but across the harbor
from the town center, we opted for the local bus (Route 26) to the cable car
station. One can purchase their cable car ticket directly from the bus driver
and the return trip bus transportation is included in the cost (80 NOK per
adult). At the top of the mountain, there is the ubiquitous souvenir shop and
also a restaurant, along with some spectacular views. It was raining a bit while
we waited for the cable car, one leaves about every seven-eight minutes (actual
trip is four minutes), but had stopped prior to our ascent. The day was still
somewhat overcast, but the views were still quite impressive. After descending
from the mountain top by cable car (there are also hiking trails for those so
inclined), we chose to walk the quarter mile, or thereabouts, down the hill to
the Arctic Cathedral. The design is somewhat reminiscent of the Sydney Opera
House, only instead of sails, the design here is evocative of an iceberg or
mountain crest. The primary building materials are concrete and stained glass.
After viewing the church and purchasing some postcards depicting the winter
views, we headed out to the bus stop and recrossed the harbor bridge to the
center of town, where we continued our tourist explorations. Unfortunately, we
felt that we did not have enough time to visit the Polaria, Tromso’s museum of
the Arctic, with it’s exhibit on life in Svalbard, our next port. Perhaps next
time? Because of the uncertainty of the weather cooperating, and unsure of the
exact route to follow, we chose to take the shuttle back to the ship. The return
trip was via the overland route, and we were confident that we had made the
right decision in taking the shuttle.

Magdalena Fjord/Ny Alesund: This was another of the ports that convinced
us to take this cruise. We definitely wanted to go to the North Cape of Europe,
but when we saw that this cruise included a stop at Ny Alesund on the island of
Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago, that sealed the deal. Spitsbergen
is the most northerly place on the globe where people live year-round.
Spitsbergen, which is located at a latitude of 79 degrees North, was the
departure point for many of the more important polar explorations, including
those of: Edward Parry; Dr. Fridtjof Nansen; Adm. Stefan Makarov; Robert E.
Peary; Ronald Amundsen; Richard Byrd; Lincoln Ellsworth; General Umberto Nobile,
and others. At Ny Alesund there was a thriving coal mining operation from about
1916 (although the coal vein was first discovered by whalers in 1612) until a
tragic accident in the 1960’s. Today the remaining 60 buildings, situated at
about 765 miles from the North Pole, are used primarily for research facilities
and their associated infrastructure. There is however, a Post Office, a
souvenir/general store, a museum, and even a hotel. There are raised walkways
and roads where all traffic is directed due to the fragile nature of the arctic
tundra. This area is also a bird sanctuary and arctic terns can be seen nesting
almost everywhere, even right next to the roads/walkways. You do not have to
look for them, they will fund you and let you know that you are encroaching upon
their space. A hat is an extremely good idea, as is carrying a stick which you
raise if the terns get too territorial; they will usually attack the highest
point of their percieved intruder. We did not find them to be much of a danger,
more a nuisance, and only a very few were more than slightly aggressive. The
only downside to this port visit was that due to wind and sea conditions, and
the port authorities only allowing the ship to use one docking berth for the
tenders, the tendering operation was painfully slow, despite having five tenders
in the w
ater. After about two hours, the port authorities allowed the captain to
position the ship closer to the island, and while this shortened the distance of
the trip, the one tender berth did not allow for shortening the time of the trip
by very much. The result was that we had less time ashore that we would have
liked, despite the Captain moving the departure time to later. However, while we
were still ashore the Captain began sounding the ship’s horn letting everyone
know he was going to depart at the revised time and wait no later than that
time. Despite the bumps in the road, it was a very worthwhile ‘excursion’. We
had been to "Fin del Mundo" (End of the World) at Ushuaia, Argentina, the
southern most city in the world, and now to the most northerly place of
year-round habitation on the globe.

Honningsvag: This was the only other port where we had pre-booked an
excursion. We booked a tour to the North Cape, acclaimed as the northern most
point on the European Continent, although we learned that the acclamation is not
undisputed. Knivskjelodden, which is about 9 km away is technically further
north than the marker at the North Cape Hall. We figured it was not worth
splitting hairs since we had been to Svalbard two days earlier. This far North,
the midnight sun shines from mid-May until the end of July. Of course, the
midnight sun was only a rumor this morning; rain and fog were the predominate
weather characteristics. However, we had an early morning tour booked, so off we
trudged. By the time the bus was heading out of town the ground fog had begun to
lift, but the rain continued. On our trip north, the rain became intermittent
and the fog was only seen at the upper reaches of the mountains. By the time we
had traversed the long winding road to the upper plateau of the North Cape, both
rain and fog were gone, but the sky remained overcast. Our driver slowed/stopped
a few times to allow passengers to take photos of groups of reindeer grazing
with their owners’ initials/symbols spray painted on their sides. By the time we
reached the North Cape Hall, the weather had improved significantly. We viewed
the video explaining the history of the area and then set out to explore. There
are a number of exhibits relating to the history along the tunnel through the
mountain leading to the Grotten Bar, including a hewn out chapel. The Grotten
Bar is a large event venue which could accommodate 300-400 (our estimate), which
, by way of floor to ceiling windows and a doorway opens out onto a large
outdoor deck-type area that overlooks the cliffs, called the Royal Box. Once
back above ground on the plateau, there are walking areas to allow for closer
looks at the cliffs and the Arctic Ocean 1,000 feet below. There is also a large
metal sculpture representing a globe that seems to require visitors to climb its
base to pose for that "once in a lifetime" photo opportunity. Of course we did!
There is also a sculpture "Verdens Barn (the Children of the World)" dedicated
to Peace which has six discs, each of which were designed by children from
different countries around the world; these discs are being viewed by a woman
and a child. The statements on each disc is simple and yet touching. Based on
other reviews we had read, we were expecting that the weather could be very
cool, windy, rainy, and possibly foggy. Fortunately, it was not any of these. Of
course, there is also a very large souvenir shop at the North Cape Hall, with
its own post office. Once back in town there is little to occupy one’s time,
just a few tourist type stores and a number of stores providing the necessities
for the local inhabitants, and a few restaurants. The tourist type stores are
mainly located in the area of the ferry dock, a couple of blocks from the cruise
ship pier. This was one stop we had been anxiously awaiting, and we were not
disappointed.

Geiranger: This was another port where it is most advantageous to be out
on a balcony, or open deck, while traversing the fjord heading into the
anchorage area. The scenery is well worth the effort, even though you will
travel the same route on the way out of the fjord. By way of personal
observation, it seemed the better viewing was on the port side heading into the
fjord and starboard leaving the fjord (that would place you on the side of the
seven sisters waterfall). We were scheduled to arrive in Geiranger earlier in
the cruise, but on our first day, we were advised of a change in itinerary. The
main road into the town was closed due to the danger of avalanches. Fortunately,
they were able to remove the threat via induced/controlled slides, and re-open
the road. Geiranger is another tender port; hopefully things will flow smoother
than at Ny Alesund. Happily, the tendering operation worked well, except that
everyone could not be in the first tender. We had not booked any excursions, so
we were in no hurry. We picked up our tender tickets and waited on deck until
our number was called (about twenty minutes. While tendering did not pose
problems for those on excursions, a "computer glitch" did . Apparently Princess’
computer was telling the tour department that there were 251 people booked for
the bus tour to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba, when there were really five hundred,
and they only had capacity for about three hundred. It was too late to get more
busses on site and many passengers were told "We’re sorry", even some who had
booked well before the cruise. This made for quite a few ‘unhappy campers’,
despite the tour department’s apologies and complimentary bottles of wine, in
addition to a refund of the cost of the tour. The weather was spectacular! Skies
were cloudless, allowing for full sunlight and air temperatures in low 70’s. We
walked up the rather steep hillside road to a small local church and then up to
the Fjord Center and Museum. One of the guides at the museum store told us that
this was the best weather day that they had seen since April. We then walked
back down the hill to the main part of town and did a bit of shopping and
stopped for ice cream. Standing in the warm sunshine it was hard to believe that
just four days earlier, the road was closed for fear of avalanches, although
snow was quite visible on the higher mountain elevations.

Bergen: Our last port of call and another spectacular weather day; sunny
cloudless skies and mild temperatures starting in mid 50’s to about 70 degrees.
The weather is worth noting since Bergen typically has rain 300 days a year. The
walk from cruise terminal to the fish market at Torget is about 15 minutes, at a
leisurely tourist pace, if one doesn’t stop at one or more of the interesting
shops/attractions along the way. We again had no excursions booked, but did want
to ride the funicular up/down Mt. .Floyen, so we headed directly there. We were
seconds too late to make the train that was in the station when we arrived, so
we had about a ten minute wait. The views from the area surrounding the upper
station are quite magnificent. Also at the top there is a snack bar, souvenir
shop, and a restaurant. On the roof of the overhang above the entrance to the
souvenir shop, there is a scale model of the funicular cars which shows where
they are in their transit; this would help one decide if they needed to head for
the station. If one is not that schedule driven, the cars run about every ten
minutes, or thereabouts. When we came down the funicular, the queue waiting to
go up stretched back outside the building on to the sidewalk; our estimate was
about a 45 to 60 minute wait. We then walked about Torget and through the fish
market, and surrounding shops; we even stopped to watch a five feet tall, cello
playing, penguin! Then it was on to Bryggen, the restored timbered buildings
that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. While many of these original
buildings have been ravaged by fire over the centuries, they have been restored
using materials and techniques harkening back to the original specifications,
albeit with modern updates, like electricity, and modern plumbing. Wandering the
historic back alleyways of this area is quite fascinating and interesting. After
a while, Ray who was feeling a bit out of sorts, headed back to the ship while
Janet and George went on to explore Hakon’s Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower,
which they enjoyed very much, except for maybe the climb up the very narrow
winding stone staircase to the upper reaches of the Tower, although the view was
very nice. This being our last stop in Norway, Princess had arranged for
Norwegian Tax-free representatives to be on board to process tax refunds for
purchases made in Norway, during the cruise. One foggy day at sea was all that
remained before our return to Southampton.

Entertainment: This is not an aspect of a cruise that will usually
determine whether or not we have a great cruise experience. We attended a couple
of the headlined shows and they were very good to exceptional. Beyond the usual
production (song and dance) shows, there were comedians, magician/illusionist,
and of course the passenger talent show. The music in the various lounges/bars
was pretty good, based on our somewhat limited movements beyond Crooner’s
lounge, and The Wheelhouse. We did not attend any of the Movies Under The Stars
(MUTS), but did walk by a few times and were amazed at how bright the picture
was even when there was no sunset for about one half of our cruise days. Each
passenger is provided with a personal wireless receiving unit and ear phones for
use during day time viewing; these were delivered to your cabin and collected at
the end of the cruise. Thankfully, Princess does not subscribe to the
"singing/parading waiters" in the Dining Room, under the guise of ‘dinner
entertainment’. The lone exception is the traditional parade of the Baked
Alaska.

Overall Ambiance: As mentioned earlier, this was our second cruise on the
Sea Princess. What we again were able to observe was a crew that was warm and
friendly, whether they be Officers, service staff, or deck hands. Everyone would
smile and exchange greetings, even if my assumptions are correct, that they did
not always understand what was being said, due to language differences. This
cruise was different from others we have taken in that the passenger make up was
predominately British (about 1300+ of the slightly over 2000 passengers), with
approximately 450 U.S., and the rest comprised of small numbers from Canada,
Japan, France, Germany, Korea, South Africa, Australia, and a number of other
countries. This was actually refreshing in that the Brits seemed to treat dining
a bit more formally than the ultra casual affair that dining seems to be
evolving into on cruises with a predominately North American passenger
clientele. We cannot recall seeing any jeans in the Dining Room on any evening,
and saw many men wearing ties almost every evening.

One exception to the usual wanting to please the customer attitude was the
Future Cruise Sales Consultant. We mentioned the difference of opinion we had
with Princess prior to this cruise over the Shareholder’s Benefit available
through Carnival Corporation, parent company of Princess Cruise Lines. Ray
stopped by to see Kimberley one day and inquired about a couple of possible
future cruises. When the topic if the Shareholder’s Benefit came up, Ray was
told that the onboard credit for booking while on a cruise would be deducted
from the Shareholder Benefit, as per the policy. Ray stated that he had never
encountered that with any of the other Carnival family of cruise lines;
Kimberley replied, "We are not Carnival, Princess has its own standards that
will never change". We also have standards, and unless they are offering an
outstanding unique itinerary, we may not see cruise number three on Princess.
There are a number of other cruise lines out there.

Another enjoyable aspect of this cruise was the photography (Did we really say
that?). The photographers were extremely professional, one might even say
magical, since they managed to make us look good on a few occasions. They were
at the gangway at some, but not all, port stops, but were not "in-your-face" to
pose. In the dining room, one of them even took time to have folks straighten
ties, brush back hair, and was content to wait while we decided what groupings
we might want. Since their cameras are now all digital, they perform a quick
check and can redo obvious ‘misses’. This is a far cry from the "smile... good
bye" rushing one usually sees. Public address announcements were kept to an
appreciated minimum.

While Princess is still not our favorite cruise line, we were suitably
impressed, in all but one aspect. Good Job !